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Photos: Supreme Court rules on gay marriage

The nation's top court today extended federal benefits to legally married same-sex couples and
declined to revive California's Proposition 8, a ban on same-sex marriage. California's voters had
passed the ban, but it had been overturned by lower courts.

Susan Walsh | APDefense Secretary Chuck Hagel, left, said today that the Pentagon will start extending benefits to the same-sex spouses of military members as soon as possible. With him was Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.Request to buy this photo

Richard Drew | APEdith Windsor, plaintiff in the lawsuit that overturned the federal Defense of Marriage Act, speaks at a press conference in New York City today.Request to buy this photo

People hold a giant rainbow flag as they watch the U.S. Supreme Court decision on a large-screen TV on Liberty Avenue in downtown Pittsburgh.Bob Donaldson | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via APRequest to buy this photo

Eric Risberg | APAt their home in San Jose, Calif., Lisa Kirk, left, and Lena Brancatelli celebrate on the phone with Brancatelli's mother after learning of today's Supreme Court decisions.Request to buy this photo

Noah Berger | APAt San Francisco City Hall, Pam Grey, left, and Zoe Dunning kiss after today's rulings. Dunning married Grey, a federal employee, in 2008 and now will be entitled to federal benefits.Request to buy this photo

Jeff Chiu | APAt the office of San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee today, John Lewis, left, gets a kiss from his partner, Stuart Gaffney, after the Supreme Court cleared the way for same-sex marriage in California.Request to buy this photo

Charles Dharapak | APAmerican University students Sharon Burk, left, and Molly Wagner participate in a rally for rights for gay couples in front of the Supreme Court after today's decisions.Request to buy this photo

(Pete Marovich/MCT)Propositon 8 plaintiffs Paul Katami, second from left, and Jeffrey Zarrillo hold hands as they leave the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday, June 25, 2013.Request to buy this photo

(Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/MCT)Sandy Stier, left, and Kris Perry, the plaintiffs in a case challenging California's Proposition 8 definition of marriage arrive at the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday, June 24, 2013.Request to buy this photo

(Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/MCT)Activists Meghan Cleary, left, and Sarah Beth Alcabes of Berkeley, California, kiss in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday during a demonstration.Request to buy this photo

(Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/MCT)A demonstrator carries a protest sign in front of the U.S. Supreme CourtRequest to buy this photo

(Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/MCT)Demonstrators gathered in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday.Request to buy this photo

(Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/MCT)Demonstrators gathered in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday. The court is expected to rule on a case on the Defense of Marriage Act and other gay rights issues this week.Request to buy this photo